Sheet straightening conveying mechanism



Nov. 29, 1932. F. 1.. CROSS SHEET STRAIGHTENING CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed June 27, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l awvwtoz/ Flam/r L. ceos;

WIT/V1555 Nov. 29, 1932. F. L. cRoss 1,889,353

SHEET STRAIGHTENING CO I WEYING MECHANISM Filed June 27, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m TNESS reA/v/rZ. 059.5:

Nov. 29, 1932. c gss 1,889,353

SHEET STRAIGHTENING CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed June 27, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I- I awwemtoz Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK L. CROSS, OF PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CROSS PAPER FEEDER COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

' SHEET STRAIGHTENING CONVEYING MECHANISM Application filed' June 27,

The object of the present invention is to provide improved devices for straightening sheets, on the conveyor frame which takes successive sheets from an automatic feeding machine and delivers them in registry at the front gages of a printing press. 7

It has been the practice in the past to employ high speed sheet conveying mechanism for rapidly passing sheets from the feeder to the press in combination with slow-down conveying mechanism which arrests the speed of the sheetsjust prior to their arrival at the press gages. The slowed down sheets are registered against the gages and also side registered by suitable devices. It has also been the practice to straighten sheets at the front gages by devices acting upon the forward portions of the sheets.

The present invention is an improvement upon prior known devices for straightening sheets on a conveyor frame in that it produces more accurate results, the straightening devices being combined with the slow-down devices acting upon the rear portions of the sheets.

The objects of the present invention are accomplished by means of sheet engaging devices arranged adjacent to the slow-down conveying mechanism. Sheet supporting plates are provided adjacent to the slowdown conveying surfaces and the drop rollers cooperating therewith carry resiliently mounted fingerswhich engage the rear portions of the sheets against these sheet supporting plates at points slightly beyond the engagement of the drop rollers with the sheets upon the slow-down conveying surfaces; with the result that as the rear edge of a sheet passes from the bite of the rollers and slow-down conveying surfaces it will be engaged and further retarded and stopped by the pressure of the fingers against the sheet supporting plates. If the rear edge of the sheet at one side of the conveyor passes from beneath its drop roller slightly in advance of the rear edge of the sheet at the otherside of the conveyor, the action of the roller and conveying surface which is last in engagement with the sheet will push forward the tardy rear edge while the sheet is held and 1930. Serial N0. 464,224.

pivots on the sheet engaging devices at the side in which the rear edge was first to pass from the grip of the drop roller. In this way a combined slow-down and sheet straightener is provided which will more accurately straighten sheets and effectively stop them preparatory to registry, bcause of the more effective points of engagement of the mechanism with the sheet. a

It will be understood that the improved sheet straightening and slow-down mechanism is to be employed in combination with some usual form of high speed sheet conveying and registering mechanisms.

In order that the invention may be full understood itwill first be described with re erence to the accompanying drawings and the novelty afterwards pointed out in the anneXe-d claims.

I In said drawings 7 Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a sheet conveyor to which the improved mechanism has been applied; a

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the same mechanism;

'Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged detail views showing more specifically one of the improved slow-down sheet straightening mechanisms.

While'the invention is shown applied to a sheetconveyor extending from the feed table of an automatic Cross paper feeder, it will be understood'that any automatic feeding machine may supply successivesheets to the conveying mechanism having the improvements applied thereto.

1 represents the impression cylinder of a printing press and 2' the feed board thereof, 3 the-ordinary press front gages, 4 the conveyor frame leading from the automatic feeder to the press. 5 and 6 are the usual delivery orforwarding rolls which are driven through suitable mechanisms, not described, at constant high speed fortaking successive sheets from the feeder and passing them over the conveyorframe. 7 and 8 are auxiliary high speed feed rolls which cooperate in the rapid feed of sheets over the conveyor frame. 9 represents a well-known sheet gaging mechanism at the front of the conveyor frame which takes the sheets at their front edges and gives them their final movement into gaging position against the front gages 3. These mechanisms 9 may be of any improved form such for example as shown in Patent No. 1,206,218 dated November 28, 1916.

Arranged transversely upon the conveyor frame 4 between the high speed forwarding rolls 5, 6 and the auxiliary conveyor rolls 7 81s an adjustable slow-down mechanism comprising lower slow-down conveymg surfaces combined with upper drop rollers which periodically press sheets into contactwith said lower conveying surfaces. These lower slow-: down conveyin surfaces in the form shown in. the drawings comprise feed rollers indicated at 10 mounted and driven in the usual way upon an adjustable carriage 11 with their peripheries -in the plane of feed of sheets; upper drop rollers 12 mounted upon supports or rock arms 13 journalled in said carriage are presented above the lower rollers or surfaces 10. These conveying couples 10, 12, of which there are two, are arranged transversely of the path of sheets so as to operate upon laterally spaced zones of the successive sheets that pass through them. It will be understood that, as 'in' the usual slow-down mechanism, the machine is so constructed and timed that as'each sheet is passed rapidly .through the'conveyor by the action of the high speed conveying mechanism, it will be released by the high speed mechanism and placed under the controlling action of the slow-down mechanisms 10, 12 just'prior to the forward edge of the moving sheet reachingthe front gages, said slow-down mechanisms acting only upon the rear portions of the sheets to gradually reduce the speed of movement of the sheets.

The improved sheet straightening devices .are' arranged adjacent to the two sets of slowdown rollers 10, 12. A sheet supporting .plate 15 having a bracket 16 is adjustably mounted upon a transverse frame rod 17 to present its upper sheet supporting surface falong'side' of alower slow-down roller 10 while the rock' arm 13 of each of the drop rollers 12 carries an adjustably mounted rearwardly presented bracket 18 formed with a laterally and angularly presented sheet deflecting plate 19 upon which is mounted a block 20 carrying a laterally projecting stud shaft 21 on which is freely journalledthe .heel 22 of a slightly curved sheet engaging .finger:23. An adjustable coil spring 24 surrounds the stud shaft 21 and engages the heel of the finger 23 to give it a gentle spring tension upon its supporting bracket. As will beseen with particular reference to Figure .4 the mounting of the brackets 18 upon rock arms 13 is such that the yieldingly mounted fingers 23' extend forwardly in the sheet path :and engage the upper faces of the sheet supporting plates 15. When the drop rollers are in their active lowered position the point of engagement of each finger 23 with plate 15 is a little beyond the line of contact or bite between a drop roller 12 and a slowdown under roller 10, so that when the rear edge of a sheet passes out of the bite of one pair of rollers 10, 12 it will still be beneath an adjacent finger 23 which will exert sufficient pressure to lightly grip and stop the forward movement of that side of the sheet and at the same time serve as a pivot around which the sheet can be straightened in any case in which the'rear edge of the opposite side'of the sheet is tardy in reaching its correct position. In operation, the droprollers 12 have a very small movement into and out of engagement with sheets, so that the fingers 2.3 will always be in engagement with the plates 15 or a sheet passing thereover.

The shape of fingers 23 adjacent heels 22 is such that their movement upon stud shafts -21 would,be limited by engagement with plate 19 upon any unusual upward movement of rock-arms 13. The operation of the device will be clear from the foregoing description. The slow-down rollers 10, 12 and their sheet arresting and straightening members 15, 23 are adjusted upon the conveyor at theproper distance from the press front gages 3 for members 15, 23 to arrest sheets with theirfront edges just short of said gages, in which position the sheet is taken and finally registered against said gages by the action of the registering mechanism 9.

I claim 1. Sheet'conve ing mechanism having in combination, successively acting high speed conveying surfaces and slow-down conveying surfaces for advancing sheets, cooperating rollers for holdin sheets against said surfaces, sheet straightening devices associated with said slow-down conveying surfaces, and means jointly controlling the operative relation of said rollers with said slow-down conveying surfaces and the action of said' sheet straightening devices.

2. Sheet conveying mechanism havlng in comblnatlon, high speed conveying surfaces acting upon sheets through the greater part of their length,slow-dow n conveying mechanism acting upon the rear portions of sheets,

and sheet holding devices operating upon the rear-portions of sheets adapted to engage and arrest a sheet and straighten the same in .co-operation with said slow-down conveying mechanism.

,3. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, hlgh speed conveying surfaces acting upon sheets through the greater part of their length, suitable slow-down mechanism and sheet holding and stopping devices operating upon the rear portions of sheets.

4. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, front guides, means for registering the front edges of sheets against said front guides, sheet conveying mechanism, slow-down mechanism acting upon the rear portions of sheets, and sheet straightening devices acting upon the rear portions of sheets and controlled by said slow-down mechanism.

5. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, front guides, sheet registering grippers adapted to move sheets against said front guides, sheet conveying mechanism, and a combined sheet holding and stopping device and slow-down conveying mechanism actin upon the rear portions of sheets.

6. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, main sheet conveying means,

7 two slow-down sheet conveying surfaces spaced transversely of the path of sheets, rollers for holding sheets against said surfaces, and sheet stopping engaging members arranged adjacent to said surfaces to engage and hold the rear portions of sheets slightly beyond the points of contact of said rollers with said surfaces.

7. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, two couples of upper and lower sheet conveying rollers arranged transversely of the path of sheets, and sheet stopping engaging members arranged adjacent to said conveying rollers to engage and hold the rear portions of sheets beyond the bite of the conveying rollers.

8. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, front guides, main sheet conveying means, two couples of upper and lower sheet retarding conveying rollers arranged transversely of the path of sheets, and sheet arresting members arranged adjacent to said conveying rollers to engage and hold the rear portions of sheets beyond the bite of the conveying rollers. v

9. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, two sheet conveying surfaces spaced transversely of the path of sheets, sheet engaging rolls movable into and out of peripheral contact with sheets upon said surfaces, sheet supporting plates mounted adjacent to said conveying surfaces, movable supports for said rolls, and sheet engaging members carried by said roll supports and adapted to engage sheets against said plates at points beyond the contact of said rolls with said surfaces.

10. Sheet conveying mechanism having in plates at points beyond the contact of said I rolls with sheets upon said surfaces.

11. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, main sheet conveying means, two slow-down sheet conveying surfaces spaced transversely of the path of sheets, sheet engaging rolls movable into and out of peripheral contact with sheets upon said surfaces, sheet supporting plates mounted adj acent to said conveying surfaces, rock arms carrying said rolls, and sheet engaging members yieldingly mounted upon said rock arms in position to engage sheets against said plates at points beyond the contact of said rolls with sheets upon said surfaces.

12. Sheet conveying mechanism having in combination, main sheet conveying means, two slow-down sheet conveying surfaces spaced transversely of the path of sheets, sheet engaging rolls movable into and out of peripheral contact with sheets upon said surfaces, sheet supporting plates mounted adjacent to said conveying surfaces, rock arms carrying said rolls, brackets mounted upon said rock arms, and sheet engaging members yieldingly mounted upon said brackets in position to engage sheets against said plates at points beyond the contact of said rolls With sheets upon said surfaces.

FRANK L. GROSS. 

